Free Body Diagram Simulation — Interactive Force Vectors and Newton's Laws with Matter.js
The Free Body Diagram Simulation is an educational physics tool that lets students visualize forces acting on objects in real time. Users can apply forces — gravity, normal force, friction, applied force, and tension — to objects on different surfaces and immediately see the resulting motion and vector arrows update. The simulation covers key concepts from Newton's first, second, and third laws of motion.
The physics engine is built on Matter.js for rigid body dynamics and p5.js for rendering the force vector overlays. Students can adjust the magnitude and direction of individual forces, observe how the net force determines acceleration, and see how balanced forces produce static equilibrium. The tool is intended for high school and introductory college physics courses.
Keywords: free body diagram tool, force vector simulation, Newton's laws interactive, physics education simulator, applied force visualization, friction gravity normal force, Matter.js physics, p5.js physics drawing, static equilibrium demo, high school physics tool